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ZDR Runs the Beaver, June 2011

Discussion in 'Race Reports' started by Parr, Jun 25, 2011.

  1. Parr

    Parr Well-Known Member

    Zero Dollars Racing Runs the Beaver

    After swearing off Beaver Run for a couple years over safety concerns about the track I decided to return this year for the June event due to the long gap in the WERA schedule before the next Summit event.

    After driving across Rt 68 through Maryland’s Catoctin mountains – a beautiful trip interrupted by a full car/trailer hydroplane zero visibility yeehah during an intense burst of weather, I arrived at Beaver on Saturday afternoon. I set up in the garage with my buddy Mike Coomaraswamy and we went off to get dinner. The next day dawned with unsettled weather, but it held throughout the day. I spent the morning relearning the track and reminding myself how little I like this course – the layout is interesting, but it is way too bumpy for my old school damper rod suspension and the kink on the back straight with Armco nearby is a bit unpleasant in traffic (having almost been punted off there once by a novice). I was reminded how bumpy the track was in practice when I got both ends of the bike sliding coming out of the first kink on the back straight because the suspension couldn’t keep the tires in firm contact with the track.

    First up was D Superbike. I was gridded with Scott McKee on his giant killer FZR and Blake Kelly on a Triumph Truxton – brand new to him and stock with upgraded suspension (who know Ohlins made twin shocks?). Yeah – the same Blake Kelly who smoked the B&C fields on his 600. Having him in my race focused my attention, but fortunately his Thruxton has an even worse weight to HP ratio than my Hawk. I got the holeshot and led until the back straight when Scott powered by (horsepower seems to help – maybe I should get some). That was the story for the next ten laps and the final running order. WEwere gridded with the LW Twins (SVs) and funny enough there was a pretty quick provisional novice riding the 1999 SV that I had sold 5 years earlier – he had bought it from the second owner and was still running my race number!

    Next up was D Superstock, where I gridded up with Blake. I got the holeshot again and had another fairly lonely race, running consistent laps, but a couple seconds slower than my times when I was last here, to finish first. The course is so damn short and physical that I find myself thinking almost every lap as I hit the kink on the back straight – am I here again already, geeze! Then on the binders and off we go again.

    Last up was Clubman. I was gridded with Rich Graver on his classic Clubman bike. It started life as a GS 450 parallel twin (I think), has been bored out to something well over 500 with engine bits from a variety of sources, swingarm and suspension from more modern bikes and other stray bits. I think the frame is the only stock item. We had a nice scrap but I had some speed on him and I finished the weekend with another win.

    Perhaps the most interesting element of the weekend was Mike losing the starter solenoid on his bike. He was riding his B bike and we struggled a bit getting the suspension dialed in, then it wouldn’t start. We thought it was the battery and replaced that but concluded it was the solenoid. Fortunately the garage is at the top of the hill so we could bump start his bike for his races and all went well – including a second in MW Senior Superbike.

    So all in all a successful weekend, but I must say I still don’t care for the track and am not dying to come back! Thanks to WERA and all of my race friends and competitors for another fun event.
     

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